Anti-pull training aids discourage an animal, typically a dog, from pulling excessively on a leash through a collar worn by the animal; the term “collar,” as appearing herein, defined to encompass neck-worn collars, as well as other animal-worn attachment devices or tethers, such as body harnesses and head halters. Several different types of anti-pull training aids have been developed and are presently commercially marketed. Aversion collars, for example, are a specialized type of neck-worn collar designed to produce an unpleasant physical sensation, such as localized pinching, prodding, or choking, when subject to excessive pulling. A well-known example of an aversion collar, now widely discouraged from use, is a choke collar. Other examples of aversion collars include prong collars, force collars, shock collars, pinch collars, and limited slip collars. Though less common, certain discrete devices that attach between a collar and a leash have also been developed to deter excessive pulling by a dog. For example, certain noise-generating devices attempt to deter excessive pulling by generating an unpleasant or distracting sound (e.g., a loud whistling noise) when triggered by a threshold tensile force. Finally, another common approach for countering excessive pulling by a dog is through the usage of a body harness or head halter; again, considered a type of “collar” in the context of the present document. Such harnesses and halters physically prevent excessive pulling or, alternatively, dissuade excessive pulling by exerting an uncomfortable pressure against a dog's chest, shoulder, hindquarter, or leg regions when subject to pulling.
The aforementioned anti-pull training aids remain limited in certain regards. Many can be challenging to properly position on a dog or other animal, difficult to remove, or are otherwise cumbersome to use. Others, such as choke collars and limited slip collars, are potentially harmful to an animal. Still other anti-pull training aids tend to be ineffective at discouraging excessive pulling in many scenarios. For example, while attached to and detached from a collar with relative ease, the above-described noise-generating devices are frequently ineffective at discouraging excessive pulling by highly active, aggressive, or untrained dogs. There thus exists an ongoing demand for improved anti-pull training aids, which are relatively effective at discouraging an animal from excessive pulling behaviors and which otherwise overcome the limitations listed above. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent Detailed Description and the appended Claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings and the foregoing Background.